Brazil's Lula announces 15% welfare boost ahead of election

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Thursday increasing benefits of his flagship welfare program by 15 percent, weeks before the first round of the presidential elections. The minimum monthly benefit per family of Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) will rise to 691 reais ($134) next month, from 600 reais. The decree says that it adjusts payments for accumulated inflation since March 2023. The measure will increase the purchasing power of voters, who will decide in October whether to grant Lula a fourth, nonconsecutive term, or elect Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro , in a likely run-off vote. Polls show the two are currently running neck-and-neck. “Bolsa Familia is central to our strategy to look after more vulnerable families, guarantee income so that people emerge from poverty and don’t suffer from food insecurity,” Finance Minister Dario Durigan said. The additional spending would be absorbed within existing budget allocations and would not represent a new expenditure, he added. Lula introduced the cash-tr